Teeth Grinding And Headaches
Many headaches can be traced back to teeth grinding and clenching (Bruxism). When people grind their teeth, jaw muscles become sore from overuse. Not on will this wear down tooth surfaces; this will also cause many people to experience tension headaches. There is good news for these people, however. With the help of a special type of nightguard known as an occusal nightguard, people can sleep without grinding their teeth, and they can be free from headaches during the day.
Technically speaking, Bruxism is defined by any excessive contact between the upper and lower teeth. If you add up all the time you spend chewing and swallowing food over the course of any given day, all you have at the end of the day is 15 minutes—the same amount of real action in a football game, minus the timeouts and huddles. However, people who grind teeth are engaging in a rough contact sport of up to six total hours over a 24-hour period of time.
The American Dental Association has also made it all that 95 percent of the American public suffers from a grinding or clenching teeth during at some time or the other over the course of a lifetime. Many of these instances are temporary conditions that result from stress factors such as divorce, job loss, and grief over the death of someone loved. More severe cases appear to be chronic, however, and require intervention. If nothing is done, as much as 50 percent of the tooth surfaces in the front can end up being worn down.
This will cause the jaws and mouth to drop and wrinkles will form around the cheeks and around the front of the mouth. This can be corrected with porcelain inlays, onlays, and crowns that will restore the proper size and shape of teeth. However, it is much better to treat Bruxism in its early stages before it gets actually damages teeth. The occusal nightguard is an ideal way to accomplish this. It fits over the teeth at night and prevents direct contact between them.
Obtaining one of these devices is simple. Call our office and schedule an evaluation to look for signs of clenching and grinding. Worn tooth enamel will often result in exposed dentin. We may possibly find dental abfraction, characterized by V-shaped notches in the teeth. If we find these problems, we will custom-mold the nightguard to fit your teeth so that wearing it will be as comfortable as possible.
This will almost always stop Bruxism in its tracks. It is a highly effective and affordable treatment option for any of you that want to prevent the problem rather than solving it after the fact.
Technically speaking, Bruxism is defined by any excessive contact between the upper and lower teeth. If you add up all the time you spend chewing and swallowing food over the course of any given day, all you have at the end of the day is 15 minutes—the same amount of real action in a football game, minus the timeouts and huddles. However, people who grind teeth are engaging in a rough contact sport of up to six total hours over a 24-hour period of time.
The American Dental Association has also made it all that 95 percent of the American public suffers from a grinding or clenching teeth during at some time or the other over the course of a lifetime. Many of these instances are temporary conditions that result from stress factors such as divorce, job loss, and grief over the death of someone loved. More severe cases appear to be chronic, however, and require intervention. If nothing is done, as much as 50 percent of the tooth surfaces in the front can end up being worn down.
This will cause the jaws and mouth to drop and wrinkles will form around the cheeks and around the front of the mouth. This can be corrected with porcelain inlays, onlays, and crowns that will restore the proper size and shape of teeth. However, it is much better to treat Bruxism in its early stages before it gets actually damages teeth. The occusal nightguard is an ideal way to accomplish this. It fits over the teeth at night and prevents direct contact between them.
Obtaining one of these devices is simple. Call our office and schedule an evaluation to look for signs of clenching and grinding. Worn tooth enamel will often result in exposed dentin. We may possibly find dental abfraction, characterized by V-shaped notches in the teeth. If we find these problems, we will custom-mold the nightguard to fit your teeth so that wearing it will be as comfortable as possible.
This will almost always stop Bruxism in its tracks. It is a highly effective and affordable treatment option for any of you that want to prevent the problem rather than solving it after the fact.
Labels: Bruxism, dental nightguards, grinding teeth, teeth grinding
posted by Dental Expert at
9:43 AM
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